Ordinem Oculus Veritatis
'Ordinem Oculus Veritatis: ''''The Order of the Eye of Truth A once secret order created by the original Farawayan priests who came to Mittelsee, the order consisted of Farawayan members who had embraced their curse and developed the ability to not only be incapable of lying but to see when others were. This group served s the militant wing of the church for many years, hunting down the enemies of the New gods and mercilessly slaughtering them. After the arrival of vessel the order became public, suddenly the vagabond who had traveled through a village revealed himself to be one of the traveling holy men. The new emperor, a highly Pius man, granted the order the right to enforce laws as they saw fit. This means that members of the Order may act as both judges and executioners in their own right. This has caused many to fear the order, however members of the Order are known for their generosity to travelers and those who have not committed any major crime. Most only seem interested in murder, Treason or heresy. There are of course more zealous elements of the order who are more Tyrants then they are peacekeepers. Cutting down citizens for even the smallest crimes, yet the emperor supports the order in even the cruelest of their actions. '''Ranks Oculus: Or eye, they are referred to by members of the order or the common folk as “Brother”. The traveling judges that make up much of the order. They believe in the ideals of monastic life, and live simply despite their orders wealth. The older members have spent much of their live as traveling vagabonds, however some of the newer members are more comfortable in their garb and means of travel, even spending coin to buy horses or carriages. Verum Custos: Or Truth Keepers, they are called as “Father” by other members of the order or the common folk. These members of the order still travel however they are respected as leaders among the order, and as heros. Some serve as advisors to powerful Lairds, well others are given the rank when they retire to the monastery. Oculus Imperatoris: The Eye of the Emperor. A singularly powerful man who serves as the religious and legal advisor to the emperor of Mittelsee. Many believe the current emperor is no more then a puppet of his Eye. The Monastery of The Keepers A Sprawling stone compound deep in the woods in the North of Mittelsee, for years it was thought of as a haunted ruin by the locals, however the roads to it have become far more traveled by pilgrims. It is spars in it’s decorations yet many believe that it’s catacombs and vaults are filled with enough gold to buy a continent. The monastery is heavily fortified, and capable of resisting a siege for years due to farms built within the very walls themselves. Powers Members of the order are recruited directly from the home Island of the Church, the Isle of Faraway. They are normal taken around the age of four or five once the order can be sure the curse has manifested itself, proving that the child is in fact of Farawayan blood. They are then taken to the Monastery and trained to embrace the curse of truth. -The first ability this grants is one that all members of the order have, they can see when others are lying. Most initiates and all young Oculuses can do this. Some never develop their powers beyond this. -A few gain the ability to force someone to tell the truth through their gaze. This is a talent that comes in quite useful to traveling members of the order. -A rare member of the order develops his powers to the extent that he can see the truth even if it is not spoken. This is somewhat like mind reading however far more passive, it allows these members of the order to rise to great heights, even to the point of becoming major political players. It is believed the current Oculus Imperatoris has this power. other then these powers that a Member of the order may have are not related to the curse and are learned outside of the monastery. A few spend time in a college of magic or in the Mittelseein military, and learn battle or healing magic. Most are talented in some marshal disciplines as well. Equipment Members of the order are allowed to wear whatever they wish, and use whatever weapons they need, though many have their weapons blessed by priests or enchanted. Each member of the order is given a quite large amount of gold when they leave the monasteries. They hand this out whenever they come across someone in need, few ever return with a single coin. Though they may equip themselves as they please they must all wear the symbol of the order somewhere on them. the symbol is that of a sunrise, with twenty beams of light coming from it, in each beam is the symbol of one of the new gods. Some wear a pin with this symbol, many a white scarf of cloak with it, a few of the more Zealous members even have it tattooed on their bodies.